


Forgotten World of Oddities

by Kisuru



Category: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha | Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Genre: Action, Alien Planet, Alternate Unoverse, Apocalypse, Cliffhanger, Complete, Dark, Forum Roleplay Sample, Gen, Mysterious Monster, Mystery, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 13:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2510228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kisuru/pseuds/Kisuru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nanoha explores an unfamiliar world and chances upon a powerful force.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forgotten World of Oddities

**Author's Note:**

> Originally finished on February 21, 2012. Written as a sample for End Wars, a superheroes/villains based RPG. Years later, I think it works as a short story. What befalls our beloved heroine in the end? Even I cannot answer. At the time of writing this I wanted a tense story to tell.

Far beyond the orbital rim of the planet's exosphere and secluded in the murky expansion of space, trillions of stars pulsed in vibrant waves from light years into the heavens. Thin puffs of cotton-blown clouds littered the black of the night sky, while the blinding white of the full moon hovered above. The scene appeared like a photograph that served as an impeccable replica of any water-laden world, but for Takamachi Nanoha, this place was a mystifying scenario. Each piece of evidence suggested that she was stationed on a planet which masqueraded as her home planet Earth, but on quick inspection, was most certainly somewhere else. In fact, it was a sight for sore eyes, yet was a headache for the mind to wrap around; this alternate planet was ten times more random in design and color, though not strictly labeled to one set of scenery.

Everything seemed surreal. Not a creature or car clambered down the urban metropolis' futuristic, spiraling intersections or speedways, nor did the vicinity provide any inklings of music or conversation to derail the absence of noise. The high ceilings and glass reinforcements of skyscrapers cleaved through the air to dominant as the main attraction and claim a generous amount of sight from the sky: though in replacement of the missing pinpricks of starlight glowing in the background, neon lights and storefronts blazed and shimmered in mirthful, mufti-fluorescent light. Even more so, the division of landscapes on either side of the city became as equally opposite and wild as far the eye could stretch past the horizon. Miles to the West, blades of dead grass and chipped rocks bore a wasteland of goldenrod and tangerine, while in the East, a swelling shamrock green ocean bubbled in tides against a violet-imbued coast. Though instead of sand grains, iceberg-shaped rocks jabbed upwards, as if to impale anyone who wanted access to the water's edge.

Earlier that day she had woken in a meadow about thirty miles to the West and had navigated to the city, consumed by bewilderment. The task had zapped a plenty of energy, but that was minor to the situation. One fact was clear: this land was not Uminari City in Japan, and the outlandish circular and triangle buildings pointing in zigzags attested to that. With all events considered, Nanoha should have been submerged in sweet dreams, tucked away in her bed while in the depths of a cozy, unconscious sleep. She yearned to be in her bedroom above the Midori-ya Café so all of this could be chalked up to a bizarre fantasy, but no prayers had saved her so far.

During the last several hours the temperature had skyrocketed or plummeted as it saw fit in a peculiar cycle between various degrees. Yet, nothing could duplicate the arctic chill that were settling in for the night. The daytime had been pleasant in the wake of the tepid radiation from the midnight blue sunlight, but now the reverse was in effect as the sky cloaked over in mist.

For the first time since the creation of the armor, Nanoha stressed that her attire was inadequate for high flying weather in freezing conditions. She was accustomed to the chill of the breeze wavering against her bare legs in a soothing, rhythmical pattern of waves as she fought, but this was sorely the opposite of the breathtaking, balmy temperatures overhanging the ocean bordering Uminari. The tranquility of the leaps and twirls she could do with one hand tied behind her back in Uminari's airspace was restricted to less agility and a susceptibility from the Jacket's fanned-out skirt. More so, the ocean to the East's scent was replaced from a salty flavor to an unnatural, vacant quality; an odorless space peppered with hints of ash that left everything void and bound.

How uncomfortable.

At the back of her mind the white and sapphire school sailor-style uniform with a dress counterpart, or her reliable Barrier Jacket to combat, gave her a minuscule amount of emotional comfort, but physically was a nightmare for regulation and warmth. Dispirited, Nanoha would flinch in malcontent as the flesh of her legs endured the brunt of ruthless blowing underneath the Jacket's fabric while the flimsy material swished in the drafts whipping around her small frame. In this instance more protective clothing would be sufficient to keep frostbite at bay, but all she could do with a confused understanding of any happenings was allow things to progress in the order they were then.

In honesty, Nanoha felt unnerved. Her body tensed in a shiver, goosebumps rising on her legs and arms from the planet's intolerable temperature. The lights from below blinked at her as if someone was there to comfort her from the ominous delusion playing out before her, but in reality the empty shell of land might have been cajoling her in dazzling flashes of false hope to venture forth and meet an unspeakable demise. On the morbid range of things - who had a clue about what dreadful things could be concealed in the shadows? - but true enough if Nanoha's intuition counted for shying from places too grand to be true.

As she had flown above the buildings, Nanoha had soon realized that the city was devoid of inhabitants no matter what street corner or window she had peered through, and she was alone with Raising Heart (as much as she depended on her intelligent device, how would Nanoha protect them both if there was no inlet to gather?). Still, even with that newfound information and the abnormality plaguing the site, a lively energy and optimism like none other the nine-year-old had ever experienced in any residential area seemed engraved in the air. It was a tingly sensation that had seeped into the bite of the wind and washed over her in a crisp trail, as if she would be enchanted by luck and the pillar of new beginnings the a concrete jungle had to offer if she just breathed. Like she had thought, her mind was playing tricks. But the deep-rooted belief that she was stranded even if she sought for someone contributed to her refusal to investigate, and instead scan for alternatives.

As she floated through the lifeless, thick air, Nanoha's gaze averted the full moon directly overhead. In a sense, as the moon kept perpetually suspended to the same spot and never arced over the black backdrop of the universe, its harsh light unveiled the landscape's archaic secrets and mirrored the crisp wind. For some unprecedented reason, her senses screamed that hypothermia should have gotten the best of her long ago, but she seemed to defy logic, there in commission. Was it a miracle that she was standing and alive, or had she fallen asleep and this was a lucid dream? Still if this unbearable temperature persisted, she needed to make her body warmer from the sunlight she had lost when the sun had set in an estimation of an hour ago. On a level Raising Heart was thawing her body with magical output, but Nanoha had more or less avoided such a task because it would deplete her reserves while being on high alert for anything useful the whole day. But the body upheld the grand say - enough was enough. She had exerted a great toll and drained too much energy, leaving her fatigued and overtaxed. But she would undertake any mission to survive for whatever time necessary, and not allow obstacles to force her into submission.

For certain, however, Nanoha was aware that she was awake, and not a trace of similar lifeforms wandered the streets. All she could hope to do was, in a futile attempt, shove the pressing loneliness the place echoed through such a sorrowful and empty appearance to the furthest recesses of her heart. She could not be a bystander; she had to get her act together to summon enough courage to explore, seek safety and shelter, and conduct her duty. Plus, with Raising Heart at her side for protection, she had a noteworthy companion to weather misfortunes with. The only connection she felt towards the place was to find her loved ones, and that alone would push her forward.

Nanoha peered from left to right and absorbed the ground's beautiful scenery. She clutched at her staff, out of fear and dizzying confusion, and sighed in exasperation, the air briefly painted white by the exhale of breath before disappearing. "R-Raising Heart, do you still not sense anyone nearby?" she questioned in rising worry. Nanoha hoped her helplessness was masked by her stuttering even though she realized hiding anything was a waste; Raising Heart always understood her feelings.

A ten second lull in conversation elapsed as Raising Heart heeded the off-hand request to search again, and calculated the two's surroundings with Wide Area Search. On the mark, Nanoha expected the scan's forthcoming fruitless results.

**"No, my master. The perimeter search verifies there are no signs of lifeform presences in the vicinity,"** the intelligent device replied in its usual, mechanical tone, red jewel flashing light pink when it spoke. **"I am sorry I cannot be of more use to you. Please tell me what I can do."**

Frowning at Raising Heart's confirmation of her suspicions, Nanoha allowed the unfolding truth to sink in. She indeed would have to handle the dirty work of collecting information and getting the job done instead of answers coming straight from the source. Putting aside how worthless it seemed, she resurveyed the glittering rooftops with a keen eye for detail. Nothing still jumped out or was extraordinary rather than the immense jungle of pole beams and cement crisscrosses everywhere.

Nanoha shook her head to clear her thoughts, finally making a decision about the situation. It was not her weapon's fault. She was responsible for them both, and she would not fail to do such.

"I see. It's okay. We will have to find Yuuno-kun, Fate-chan, Hayate-chan, and everyone else later if they are here. I hope they are okay." Nanoha shut her eyes and reopened them, sharper and more focused with a healthy level of conviction to locate a pathway from this mess. "In any case, this place feels strange. I don't really understand what's happening, but let's head out and try to find somewhere to stay this time?"

**"All right. Let's be careful, master,"** Raising Heart agreed, no hesitation over matters. If Nanoha would do her best to figure things out, she would follow and do whatever she could down to the letter.

Briskly nodding in approval, Nanoha was convinced the two could get through whatever the next obstacle, even if an enemy hopped out of thin space. After giving a small kick-off to gain momentum and balance, cherry blossom wings protruded from the edges of her shoes and fluttered in overdrive for swift acceleration. With gradual speed, she raced in a downward slope, further smack dab into the city's downtown. As much as she loved to fly, the cold intensified on her limbs in her haste, but she hurried along. She was clueless regarding a destination, but the pit of her stomach chided for a safehouse to relax in. Perhaps a hotel or house would suffice on such short notice.

**"Caution. Emergency,"** Raising Heart suddenly rasped in warning, shattering her master's instinctual concentration barrier. **"A beast approaches at high speed. Advised to be ready for confrontation."**

In an abrupt movement of her head to the side, Nanoha identified something beyond expectations. She automatically caught sight of a perplexing, fierce light on the Western horizon. She was hooked to the phenomena as the aura wavered in a mesmerizing back and forth scale.

Half of the sky remained flush in the night's darkness, but the West transformed into looming intention. An eruption of crimson gleamed off of the city's metallic surfaces from the direction, scorching the streets into a bloodbath of blinding light. Without a hint, a power barraged throughout her senses; it roamed from Nanoha's brain to her toes in one surge, unhindered by her own magic. Even from a distance, she could tell the source of power crept across the sand and spiked boulders of the desert, and with each passing moment the energy increased to rapidly engulf the land like a wildfire robbing everything of all other color.

Taken aback by shock, Nanoha stepped backwards in the air, light-headed and sensitive from the threat that bounced about the street she had been flying through. She clutched Raising Heart for support, her knuckles turning white and strained from the sheer grip she used to anchor steady. Nanoha's eyes drooped to cancel the light trying to permanently bleed into her vision, dazed. She could hear the crunches of glass and steel as the energy buzzed around and knocked into storefronts and cars like they were playthings set out to be destroyed, drowning everything in the sound of a swarm of mosquitoes on the hunt.

Was this honestly some type of creature, or a natural disaster in the throes of a catastrophe? Whatever the circumstance, it was a formidable adversary without a doubt. What was more convenient to brew a bundle of problems, the power would meet the border of the city without resistance. The temperature was the least of her issues now; this was real. Now was not the time to hesitate. As much as she hated to admit it, this beast might kill her. A showdown might have to ensue. Words probably would not cut the deal.

Escaping was no longer a viable option. Albeit what was storming the city, the main crimson light was successfully dashing closer to her location by the second, and on top of that grievance, Nanoha was hard-pressed to deny that she felt presence observing each of her movements from somewhere. Perhaps that was the understatement of the year, but her sixth sense served its purpose and warned of the culprit steady watch from every which sneaking angle, rendering it impossible to pinpoint. Eyes - they had to be ones packing the punch of hurricanes. Those eyes bore into her as if they could slice through her skin as clean-cut as a butcher knife, starving like a wolf who had all the patience in the world to swish its tail in wait for the right striking moment on its next meal.

Quickly blinking to expel the fight or flight instinct that switched on within her better sense of judgment, Nanoha snapped out of the powerstruck reverie. She would not be persuaded to submit to the superior being trying to call the shots She hovered in the hostile space, lost for only a second before gathering her bearings in a reality check. This situation demanded concentration since she had been overcome by the savage power's hold, and all this had to be was a tricky ploy to slow her down and injure her edgewise. It was meaningless to pray for a checkpoint to magically vacate from, so the most tactful action was to resist until the beast reared its ugly head.

Nanoha slammed downward and ground the heels of her shoes into the grains of pavement to propel a speedier lift off, and spread her arms outwards to their respective sides. Even though it was slow going at first, she thrust her weight at the straining gravity and sprung upwards, elevating above a number of skyscrapers to dodge the tornado of debris. She tensed her muscles to construct magical energy to transfer to Raising Heart's frame, and with a flick of the wrist, Nanoha gripped the weapon's handle, jabbing it towards the West horizon. Before setting up Shooting Mode, the mode's wide, pink spell circle enabled, forming underneath her feet as the power from her Linker Core flooded into Raising Heart. Still in moderate fright, she hastily narrowed her eyes, a bout of full-fledged determination lighting up her face to counteract doubt in preparation for the imminent assault; no matter the case, danger would be met head-on and she would not display weakness here.


End file.
